Shocking Secret
by Mistyrose7
Summary: Harry finds confidential information. Can he survive this impossible secret and his second-to-last year?
1. Chapter 1

"Come here, boy!" Aunt Petunia called from downstairs. Harry, who had been gazing at the wall of his bare bedroom, was only too happy to oblige. He lumbered down the stairs and found Aunt Petunia in a blue cocktail dress.

"I am going to run some errands, so I am going to trust you with the task of being alone." Her beady eyes in her bony, horse face sharpened and glared at Harry before continuing. "If one thing is out of place, boy, I will make sure you wished you've never been born." She spun on her heel walked out of her house while her words hung there, just like her sickly perfume.

Harry sneered after her. Gone to run some errands? More like going to a formal dinner. On the other hand, he _was_ alone. Uncle Vernon was at work and would not return for another two hours. Dudley was at some friend's house, and would stay overnight. Excellent. He had at least one hour alone before Aunt Petunia returned. He ate some grapes from the bowl on the kitchen island and decided to explore Aunt Petunia's room to see if she, by a very slim chance, had some of his mother's stuff. Harry knew it was pointless, and if the Dursleys knew, they would kill him, but he just wanted to do anything that would take his mind of Sirius.

 _Sirius._ Harry couldn't bear thinking about Sirius Black. He died last term, just before vacation, and his heart would still scream of agony whenever he thought about his totally cool godfather.

Harry shook himself mentally. No thinking about Sirius, he scolded himself sternly. Climbing upstairs to Aunt Petunia's bedroom, Harry's brain was still thinking about all the punishments he would receive if the Dursleys caught him rummaging in Aunt Petunia's bedroom. Harry was surprised by how tidy it was. Of course. Aunt Petunia was a neat freak. She was still grumbling about how her kitchen wasn't as neat as before, because Tonks had broken several things before making their escape.

He opened the drawer in her desk and found a letter in a plastic sleeve. Heart pounding, Harry read it:

 _Dear Tuney,_

 _I have a sneaking suspicion that you won't care, but I just have to share the news with you, since you're my beloved sister. Just don't toss this in the flames or rip it up or throw it away. Well here it is: I have not married James, the one that we had an unpleasant beginning. I, instead, married another Marauder, Sirius Black. Well, we sort of had a discussion about it, and agreed that it was best if Sirius played Harry's godfather, and James would be the picture of a father to Harry. If you have him after, you- know- what, please tell him I'm sorry for not telling him, and that I love him. I'm not sure he was of age to understand anyway. The godfather of Harry, is my dearest friend, Severus Snape. Yes, I know, Petunia, he's the one you call greasy git and an overgrown bat._ (Harry snickered at this and continued reading, intrigued.) _I really hope you're not angry with me, and that you don't think that I'm a freak. I'm really sorry for all the trouble that me and James caused between you and Vernon at our meeting. Give my love to Harry, if you taken him in, after it happens. I certainly hope you're not too hard with him. As I told you before, I'm being hunted by a very Dark wizard. I hope you'll be upset, when it happens. Please don't have a cold heart, Tuney._

 _Your dearest sister,_

 _Lily Potter (Black)_

Harry looked up from the letter in amazement. So Sirius was his father! Then a wave of anger crashed into him. Why couldn't Sirius have told him? Did he not trust Harry? He chewed on his lip, deep in thought. Harry wondered why he was feeling so uneasy. Then it dawned on him. Snape, the greasy haired git that everyone (except for the Slytherins) hated, was Harry's legal guardian. How would Snape react when Harry told him? Probably Snape would chop him into potion ingredients and use him for the most gruesome potions. He amused himself with that thought. Even though there was nobody in the house, Harry closed the drawer quietly, and slipped back into his room.

He placed the letter, still in its plastic sleeve, into his trunk, which the Dursleys had allowed in his room. Harry sat down at his desk and composed a letter to Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, his two best friends, concerning what he found. Hedwig hooted softly and nibbled Harry's finger when he opened the cage door. "Here's a letter for you to deliver, Hedwig," Harry said softly. "It's to Ron and Hermione. They're together in Romania, visiting Bill. Wish I could've come." He gave the letter to her, and she soared out of the open window.

Should he tell Dumbledore? Nah, he told himself. Best not to concern the wise old wizard with something as unimportant as this. One more week until school starts, Harry mused silently. he couldn't wait to get back to Hogwarts. Anywhere would be better than Number 4, Privet Drive.

Then a thought hit him. If the greasy ol' bat was indeed his guardian, then would he stay in Snape's home? He busied himself with the thought. Best to think about that then Sirius.


	2. Chapter 2

"D'you think it's true, mate?" Ron's astonished voice jerked Harry out of his stupor. " _Of course_ it is, Ronald! Or else Harry wouldn't have told us and showed us the letter!" Hermione said loftily in her know-it-all voice. "Yes, but it could've been faked!"Ron argued. The two of them start bickering liked old woman, and they would have continued to the end of the world if Harry hadn't cut in.

"It's real, Ron. She loops her _g_ 's and _y_ 's like I do." Harry states quietly. Ron's jaw dropped to the floor, and was prepared to ask a storm of questions had Hermione not dragged him off the bench. Ron started to protest but Hermione glared at him. "The Great Feast is over, Ron! Honestly, don't you pay attention?" said Hermione, exasperated. "Besides, we have to get to Potions."

And without a word, dragged both of them out of the Great Hall into the corrider. Ron opened his mouth to say what's wrong with you?!, and thought better of it when Hermione glanced sharply at him, and had a steely glint in her eye not unlike McGonagall's. "Harry, tell Professor Snape ("You mean that overgrown bat of the dungeons," Ron muttered") what you've found out at the end of class. We'll tell Professor Flitwick that you have to talk to Professor Snape."

Harry dipped his head. "Though I reckon he's gonna use me for potion ingredients anyway." Ron was on the floor rolling in laughter, and Hermione, with her usual I-swallowed-the-textbook air, glared frostily at Ron and told him to get up. "Hurry! Professor Snape would be the most displeased if we were late to class."

They made it in time, just barely. The dungeon door swung open, and Snape stormed in, his robes billowing around forcefully. "Today, we will be making a Babbling Beverage. Should you feed one to me, I shall make sure you are force-fed poison, whether I am babbling or not." he said, in his usual silky manner.

He could not believe he was in a classroom full of idiotic baboons. Snape made a mental note to complain to the Ministry of Magic about stupid gits that were hardly able to brew a simple Babbling Beverage. He smirking when he caught sight of the Golden Trio's disheveled appearance. They were _clearly_ in a hurry. Five points from Gryffindor, he mused silently. Too bad the reckless Gryffindors would hardly have a chance winning the house cup, especially with the hero The Boy Who Lived was around.

"Goyle, you may look like a gorilla, but that does not mean that you are one. You should not brew a potion like that, or else I would've given you permission to go to Madame Pomfrey and have you transfigured back into a human," Snape snapped. He was delighted to see that Goyle had a look of sheer guilt on his face. _Five more seconds... yes!_ "You are dismissed," Snape said smoothly. "You will all give me an 15 inch essay about the Polyjuice Potion. Out. NOW!"

He retired to his office, and found, who else then the Golden Potter? "Potter, I obviously have not dismissed the class. Either that, or your hearing is... _exceptional_." Snape sneered, his dangerously soft voice dripping with sarcasm. Much to his disappointment, Potter brat wasn't petrified with fear. _So the boy thinks, he, being the boy who lived, shall not have to face my wrath. Very well._ He made his face into utter coldness, though before, there hadn't been any expression much either.

"Explain." he said in his most silkiest voice. "Sorry, sir, to bother you, but this contains some information you should know. Lily wrote the letter," Potter said in a trembling voice and swallowed thickly. _Aha! The boy' afraid!_ Then something else caught his attention. Lily, wrote a letter that he should see? His Lily? His wonderful, Muggleborn, beloved Lily? He snatched the letter out of the brat's hands and read it, shaking slightly. When he finished, his heart froze, though his brain and his boy parts were still moving. "Explain..."Snape hesitated. This was Lily's child, after all. And not Potters's. "Please."

Harry wasn't sure how he felt. Assured? No, that's not it. Maybe he felt expectation. Oh, well. "My Aunt Petunia (Snape scowled fiercely and hardened his eyes.)left the house to run some-er- errands. I decided to search her room, 'cause I wanted to find stuff left of my mother, and because I was the only one in the house, because Dudley and Uncle Vernon (Snape scowled even more deeply at this)were elsewhere. I found this letter in the drawer and decided to let you know, whenwe're at Hogwarts and everything." Harry explained.

The sallow-skinned man whispered, "So, you know, I'm your guardian/godfather?" Potter/Black nodded. He drew in a shaky breath, and tried to unsucessfully convince himself that he wanted nothing to do with the dimwit Potter/Black. He only had Lily's eyes, after all. Then Snape grudgingly admitted that Potter/Black inherited her nature to be forgiving and other sappy things. "Well, then you're stuck with me then." Snape made his voice as sleek as a cat. "You'll be living in a house at Spinnet's End at the end of the school term." Black obsidian met green emerald. The irritating, pampered brat would want everything in sight at a shop. He sighed inwardly. How did he always get into these situations?

"Okay. You know, the Dursleys would probably celebrate if I don't come back this summer. They hate me and all," he said thoughtfully. "Would you, would you mind me being there? I mean, you're the Professor that hated me, and maybe will still hate me. I've never gotten into a house without them minding. Well , except the Weasleys." Harry murmured softly.

Snape softened. He knew what it was like to be unwanted and abandoned. He felt that all his life. "No, I swear I won't mind at all." He whispered, showing that soft side no one had seen for at least a decade.


End file.
